TheVirtualInstructor Blog

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve been able to post, so I figured that I would share with you a project that I’ve been working on with my students.  One of the classes that I teach is Animation.  Each quarter, our focus in this class is on a different type of animation.  For example, 1st quarter, we concentrate on traditional frame by frame animation, 2nd quarter- Stop Motion, 3rd quarter- Rotoscoping and then 4th quarter students create a lengthy 5 min film.  Stop Motion animation is currently the focus of this class.  The dilemma for me as the teacher lies in the fact that most stop motion work relies on the students taking their own photos out of class, leaving “down time” for students in class.  So this year, I decided to include a little video game development. We could develop our video games in class and the students could develop their stop motion projects mostly outside of class time.  I realized that this would be a challenge for me, since this is relatively uncharted territory for most students.  It also includes quite a bit of coding with action script in Adobe Flash.  Well, this class has really flourished with the video game design.  The students are enthralled in their activities and are creating some pretty amazing video games.  As you might imagine, I get lots of questions.  Students sign up at the beginning of class and I work my way down the list, helping each student in order.  In the near future, I hope to post a video tutorial explaining the process of creating a basic video game in Adobe Flash.  I modified the basic game that I made as a demonstration to the students to reflect the season.  It’s called “Santa vs Aliens” You can check it by clicking on the screen shot below…

A follow up to the animated glowing text lesson, this lesson addresses how to create another animated text effect in Adobe Flash.  This text effect, in my humble opinion is totally cool.  It utilizes tweening to create fading text that you have total control over.  If you want to put a special emphasis on a particular letter and have that particular letter fade out painfully slowly, you can using this effect.  All you have to do is type some text, break it apart, send the letters to their own layers, position them, and tween them.  To see the full lesson and to watch the video demonstration click here-> Animated Fading Text in Adobe Flash .

A new lesson posted on TheVirtualInstructor.com delves into animated text.  It is the first part of a series of tutorials on animating text in Adobe Flash CS4.  This lesson addresses using the filter option to animate text in a way that creates a glowing effect.  This effect is fairly easy to accomplish by following the steps in the tutorial.  This effect can be used in any number of applications.  To check out the full lesson and to see the video tutorial click here-> Animated Glowing Text

It is quite easy to create a slide show in Adobe Flash.  However,  it is more complex than just throwing a transition between images in a standard video editing program.  Slide shows created in Flash can be used to showcase artwork through the creation of a portfolio.  A slide show created in Flash can also be a nice welcome to visitors to a website.  The process of creating a slide show in Flash can seem tedious, but the level of control you get over the transitions is well worth it.  In this free art lesson, I demonstrate how to make a simple slide show using a fade in/ fade out effect.  You will also learn how to center your images and make them match the size of the stage with just a couple of simple clicks.

To see the video art lesson click here-> How to Create a Simple Slide Show in Adobe Flash

Creating a growing animation in Adobe Flash CS4 is easier than you think.  I’m not talking about just using a tween.  If you create a masking layer, you can make your animation grow like a real plant would-from the ground up and then out.  First, you will need to either create a vector image in Adobe Illustrator CS4 or draw your image in Adobe Flash CS4.  If you create the image in Illustrator, import it into your Flash library and then pull it onto your stage.  If you draw it in Flash then it is already on your stage.  Name this layer, “mask”.  Create a new layer.  Name the new layer, “artwork”, as this layer will hold the actual marks.  Pull the “mask” layer to the top of the layer order so that the “artwork” layer is directly below it.  Now right click on the “mask” layer and select the word “mask” from the menu.  Unlock both of the layers to see the art.  Click on the outline box on the “mask” layer.  Go to the “artwork” layer and make a mark where you want your animation to begin.  Hit the “F6″ key to go to the next frame and draw a little more. It’s okay if your marks go beyond the mask.  These marks won’t be seen in the final animation.  Continue drawing within the masking lines on the “artwork” layer and hitting the “F6″ key until the entire mask is filled.  Export your animation and enjoy the show.

To see the video demonstration of  this lesson click here-> Create a Growing Animation in Flash

Creating an Art portfolio for college entrance or for a job is an important step for any emerging artist.  It is important for artists to create a well crafted portfolio of artwork in order to effectively communicate the potential of the student or possible future employee.  Portfolios these days can come in a variety of forms.  Some publishers and firms will still accept tear sheets  (or a single page printed with several small illustrations) of artwork.  Others require the artist to leave the portfolio for review.  These types of paper portfolios have become a portfolio work in itself.  Be creative with how you present your portfolio to a potential employer-within reason.  You want to stand out from the other creative professionals that may be vying for the job.  Consider creating a “leave behind” that you can leave with the potential employer.  This will help them  remember you.  It could be a postcard or tear sheet, or something more creative.  You are after a creative job, so be creative and original.

Portfolios don’t have to be on paper.  In fact many artists are making digital portfolios.  I help my students build portfolios for college and all of them are digital.  It is very easy to snap some pictures of artwork with a high quality digital camera.  Be sure that you use natural light.  You should then edit the images on the computer using a program like Adobe Photoshop.  Crop the images cleanly and then adjust the brightness and contrast to match what the artwork looks like in reality.  You may take a digital portfolio a step further by creating an interactive portfolio in Adobe Flash.  (Find out to Make a Portfolio in Flash with Free Flash Lessons.) This allows the viewer to interact with your artwork and gives you another opportunity to be creative and stand out from the rest.  Burn your work to a CD.

Websites are a great way to showcase your artwork.   You can create your own or hire someone to make one for you.  Many free hosting packages are available out there.  There are also programs that feature templates that you can use to create your own website.  Keep your website portfolio professional.  Avoid putting personal pictures and the like on your website.  Be aware of download times, so that your portfolio is easily accessible to everyone.

Many students ask me about the order of the artwork inside of a portfolio.  My answer is to lay all of your artwork out on a table.  Narrow your work down to 10-12 of your very best, most outstanding artwork.  If there are any works that you are not totally sure of, leave them out.  Evaluate your artwork.  Your best work,  in my opinion,  should be the first work in your portfolio.  A first impression is important in your portfolio.  Your second-best artwork should be the last work in your portfolio.  End your portfolio with a bang.

Remember that your portfolio is a reflection of who you are as an artist.  It should be clean, creative, and well organized.  It should highlight your artwork clearly and send a positive message about you to that potential employer or that college evaluator.